I am Rishav Seth. I had appeared for CAT in 2023 and repeated it again in 2024, and now I will be joining NMIMS Mumbai within a few months.
UG - B. Pharm graduate (non-engineer), Fresher
Profile - 9/9/8
Exam Scores - CAT 92.26 percentile, NMAT - 233-
As the saying goes, "a single piece of paper cannot decide your future". That’s exactly why OMETs exist. Even if you didn’t perform well in CAT despite putting in all the hard work, it doesn’t mean you have failed. You can still very well get into one of those top-tier colleges of India.
Preparing for CAT itself is a demanding process, and adding exams like XAT, NMAT, SNAP, MICAT, and others (collectively known as OMETs) can feel like too much on your plate. But with a structured approach, you can tackle them effectively without compromising on either.
Free CAT Mocks 2025: Daily Sectionals!
1. Make CAT Your Core Preparation
CAT is the most comprehensive exam among all management entrance tests, covering Quant, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension in great depth.
If your CAT preparation is going strong, you're already covering 70–80% of what most OMETs test.
Focus on -
- Strengthening fundamentals in QA and LRDI
- Improving reading skills for VARC
- Building exam stamina through mocks
2. Introduce OMET Elements Gradually
Start incorporating OMET-specific preparation slowly alongside CAT. Don’t wait for CAT to get over.
Dedicate 1–2 hours per week to these areas:
- Vocabulary, word usage, grammar practice (important for NMAT, SNAP)
- General Knowledge & Current Affairs (essential for SNAP and XAT)
- The decision-making section (exclusive to XAT), needs consistent exposure.
This small but consistent effort will prevent a rush after CAT.
3. Avoid Mixing Strategies
Each OMET is fundamentally different from CAT, not just in structure, but also in approach.
- SNAP is speed-based with less time per question
- NMAT is adaptive and has no negative marking
- XAT includes decision-making and has a longer duration
You cannot apply CAT strategies to these exams. Instead, take a few mocks of each OMET before CAT (just to get the feel) and keep analysing and revisiting their format.
Also, keep separate notebooks for different exams. Don’t use the CAT notebook even if the CAT is already over.
Maintaining Your Mental Health while CAT Prep
4. Plan Your Exam Timeline Strategically
Try not to book exams too close to each other. Ideally, keep a gap of at least 7–10 days between CAT and the first OMET you appear for. Here's how to prioritize:
- NMAT (book slot in the 1st week of Dec): Practice adaptive mocks, focus on speed and accuracy. Vocabulary and grammar matter here.
- SNAP (2nd and 3rd week of Dec): Emphasize speed-based questions, GK (for some years), and fast decision-making.
- XAT (Early Jan): Focus on Decision Making (unique to XAT), and essay writing. QA is tougher than CAT.
- MICAT (Mid Jan): Needs a creative angle – psychometric tests and storytelling matter.
Don't skip GK, as many people do thinking it is not so important. GK questions can really save a lot of yoour time and if you can know the answer, in 99% of the cases you will be confident that it will get you a positive score. Always remember, even a single question can be the reason of your selection or rejection.
5. Shift Gears Post-CAT
Once CAT is over, switch your attention completely to the next OMET. By now, your basics are strong, so the goal is to adjust to work on time management strategies and work with the different patterns of each exam.
- Prioritize Upcoming OMETs by Date
- Revise Only What’s Needed
- Take Mocks with Real Exam Timing
- Don't Let CAT Results Affect You
These are the four points that you need to keep in your mind if you want to excel in these OMETs.
6. Read current affairs
Start this from Day 1 of your preparation journey. It will not only help you understand passages in Verbal Ability but also give you a massive edge during interviews. Reading current affairs is low effort but high impact.
Don't take this as a burden, rather grow your intrest to know about the current affairs. This kind of approach is always going to help you in your career. These learnings can prove to be much more crucial in your career than what you have learnt till date.
My Final Thoughts
Never lose hope after CAT. If you truly gave it your all, that effort will surely pay off in these upcoming exams. Stay consistent, stay focused, set your goals and forget whatever happened in CAT, good or bad. If you can mentally move past it, there’s a high chance you’ll perform well in OMETs and land in a B-school you never even expected. Success in OMETs is not about how much you study post-CAT, it is about how well you adjust.
Read More:
- FMS Vs IIM Calcutta
- Online vs Offline Coaching: Pros and Cons
- Self-Study vs CAT Coaching
- DILR Strategies to Score a 99 Percentile
- Free Formula Book for Quants
- From a Failed UPSC Attempt to IIM-C
- From Journalism to IIM-K
- VARC Guide For Engineers
- 5 VARC Strategies to Begin Your Comprehension Game
- Staying consistent with the 6-month-long CAT journey
